Randy Rapp

Randy R Rapp

Associate Professor and Graduate Program Chair

Biography

Documented success in an assortment of progressively more sensitive and complex construction and engineering supervisory leadership and managerial positions in both operational and supporting functions, from direct supervision of construction site operations to the executive office; from small project teams to large, diverse organizations. Six years international work between 1976-2007, including Project Controls Manager and Deputy Program General Manager of Restore Iraqi Oil. Served in management and technical disaster recovery contractor positions for Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma.

Senior Instructor Team Leader at the U.S. Army Engineer School, 1984-86, involving comprehensive revamp and delivery of a professional course of over 700 contact-hours--scenario-driven and highly integrated--in leadership, personal fitness, engineering, construction management, and military tactics. Since 1996, developed and delivered a wide range of higher education, post-baccalaureate professional, and industry training courses, including about 20 two- and four-day management and technical seminars. Director of an accredited Construction Management program whose student competitive teams repeatedly won national accolades, 2003-05. Since 1995, developed and delivered baccalaureate construction courses in methods and materials, equipment management, soils, specifications and contracts, cost estimating, scheduling, project management, site planning, cost engineering, and organization productivity and in business law; developed baccalaureate disaster restoration and reconstruction management courses. Taught graduate courses or lectured in academic writing, research design, and logistical management.

1992. Engineer District Commanders Course, 1 month, to gain a working knowledge of the legal perspectives essential for the broadest federal contracting management duties in Army Corps of Engineers district offices.

1991. U.S. Army War College Defense Strategies Course, 3 semester-hours, distance studies to develop a working knowledge of the political, economic, social, and military factors affecting a competitive national military strategy.

1990. Department of Defense Language School (Monterey, CA), 3 months, to develop a working knowledge of the Turkish language and customs.

1988. Army Command and General Staff Officers Course, 2 years, extensive distance learning studies to enhance knowledge of management and operational planning and implementation techniques for large military organizations.

1987. Operations Research and Systems Analysis, 4 days, to re-familiarize with the capabilities and constraints of applying ORSA techniques to decision optimization.

1983. Geotechnical Grouting Short Course (University of Missouri Rolla), 4 days, to gain a working knowledge of techniques and effectiveness of chemical, bentonite, and cement grouting of foundations of dams, buildings, and other structures.

Plaque from Associated Schools of Construction-Associated General Contractors 2004 Commercial Construction National Champion student team in appreciation for coaching and mentoring at Milwaukee School of Engineering.

Certificate from student Greek Council, Milwaukee School of Engineering, for support of unplanned student activities on September 11, 2001.

Legion of Merit, U.S. Army, for leadership of construction and engineering support functions at U.S. Army Engineer District Nashville, TN, upon retirement, 1992-1995.

Certificates of Appreciation from the Governors of Kentucky and Tennessee, and the mayor of Nashville, TN, for accomplishments while serving at U.S. Army Engineer District Nashville, 1992 95.

Southwest Asia Service Medal, for service in Turkey during and after the Persian Gulf War within threatening conditions, 1991.

Honor Graduate, U.S. Army Command and General Staff Officers Course, 1988.

Army Staff Identification Badge, from LTG Schwarzkopf for service in Office of Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, Pentagon, 1987.

Meritorious Service Medal, U.S. Army, for leadership of instruction team, professional curriculum development, and course delivery, U.S. Army Engineer School, 1984-86.

Honor Graduate, The Air Assault School, U.S. Army, 1980.

Proceedings of the 10th International Conference of the International Institute for Infrastructure Resilience and Reconstruction: Collaboration for Effective Disaster Mitigation and Response. Co-editor. (ISBN 978-1-62671-10153). Purdue Scholarly Publishing Services, May 2014.

Mentoring Key Project Managers for Executive Management,invited presentation to US and international professionals of Restoration Industry Association at the annual conference, April 2014.

Leadership Success within Disaster Restoration Projects. In Journal of Emergency Management 12(1), 75-81. Lead author with Bassam Baroudi, University of South Australia (City East).

Stakeholder Management in Disaster Restoration Projects. Accepted for publication in International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment. Co-author with Bassam Baroudi, University of South Australia (City East).

Disaster Recovery Project Management Lessons Learned Under Military Contract: Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma. To 9th conference of the International Institute for Infrastructure Renewal and Reconstruction, Brisbane, Australia, 2013. Lead author with Bassam Baroudi, University of South Australia (City East).

What Makes A Leader? Article excerpted with permission from ICCREM by Cleaning & Restoration magazine of the Restoration Industry Association. January 2013: 50(1). Lead author with Bassam Baroudi, University of South Australia (City East).

Disaster Restoration Projects: A Conceptual Project Management Perspective. Paper published by 6th International Conference and Workshop on the Built Environment in Developing Countries (ICBEDC), Adelaide, South Australia, December 2012. Co-author with Bassam Baroudi, University of South Australia (City East). Rated in the top nine of more than 85 papers.

Traits and Core Values Most Demanded for Disaster Restoration Project Leadership Success. Paper presented to International Conference on Construction and Real Estate Management, Kansas City, 2012. Lead author with Bassam Baroudi, University of South Australia (City East).

Construction Due Diligence in Different Project Delivery Systems. Co-authored paper presented by lead author Jing Pan to International Conference on Construction and Real Estate Management, Kansas City, October 2012. Co-authors included Robert F. Cox.

Disaster Recovery Project Management: Bringing Order from Chaos (ISBN 978-1-55753-588-7). Published in July 2011 by Purdue University Press.

Restorative Drying Improves Building Resilience. Paper presented to the 7th conference of the International Institute for Infrastructure Renewal and Reconstruction, Sri Lanka, 2011. Lead author with Bassam Baroudi, University of South Australia (City East).

A Project Management Approach to Disaster Response and Reconstruction Operations. Paper for the Australasian Universities Building Education Association (AUBEA), April 2011. Co-author with Bassam Baroudi, University of South Australia (City East).

Project Controls for Disaster Restoration and Reconstruction and Planning for Post-Disaster Project Controls. Panel discussions at AACE International Annual Meeting, Atlanta, June 30, 2010. (Ranked #1 of 89 sessions for attendee responses to “Would you attend a presentation by this speaker again?”) Co-creator and panel member with E. E. (Ted) Douglas.

Some Observations and Lessons Learned; Katrina, Wilma, and Iraq. Paper presented by Prof. Bryan Hubbard to the International Council for Building (CIB), The Lowry, Salford Quays, United Kingdom, May 2010. Professors Jeffrey Lew and Bryan Hubbard, co-authors.

Hurricanes and Oil: Adventures in Paradise? Invited by Military Officer Association of America (MOAA), Lafayette Chapter, to present information about experiences with hurricane and oil infrastructure recovery at their monthly meeting, December 2009.

Disaster and Reconstruction--Experiences with Hurricanes and the Iraqi Oil Program. Invited by Wabash Area Lifetime Learning Association (WALLA) for upcoming Infrastructure Series presentation during November 2009.

Developing and Maintaining Trust between Contractual Parties for Disaster Restoration and Reconstruction. Presented to the International Conference on Construction and Real Estate Management (ICCREM), Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, November 2009.

Results from Survey of Membership for Certified Restorer Body of Knowledge. Invited presentation and handout to deliver results of partnership research with doctoral student, Jing Pan, to Restoration Industry Association Fall Conference, St. Louis, October 2009.

Disaster Restoration and Reconstruction at Purdue: An Initiative to Enhance Professionalism and Deliver a Sustainable Competitive Advantage. Presentation invited by the National Disaster Reconstruction Conference, New Orleans, June 2009.

Master of Science Degree Program in Portfolio and Program Management. Peer-reviewed paper and presentation to the 45th Annual Conference of the Associated Schools of Construction at University of Florida, April 2009.

Disaster Restoration and Reconstruction Management: On the Gulf Coast, in Iraq, and at Purdue. Presentation invited by the St. Louis section of AACE International, March 2009.

Disaster Restoration and Reconstruction Management at Purdue: A New Concentration for the Building Construction Management Degree. With Dr. Robert Cox, presentation invited by the Restoration Industry Association Fall Conference, November 2008.

Complex Urgency: Recovering from Katrina and Wilma. Peer-reviewed paper and presentation, Transactions of the 52nd Annual Meeting of AACE International, at Toronto, Canada, July 2008.

Recommended Practice (RP) 15R-81, Profitability Methods. Explains the most common methods by which industry forecasts profitability, July 2008.

Enhancing Professionalism in Construction Project Controls. Peer-reviewed paper and presentation, International Proceedings of the 44th Annual Conference of the Associated Schools of Construction, at Auburn University, April 2008.

Construction Inspection of Public Works Projects. University of Washington, TRANSPEED, May 2005; March May, and October 2008; May 2009; May 2010.

Estimating and Bidding: Costing and Pricing the Work. Revision of Chapter 16 in Financial Management and Accounting for the Construction Industry, Matthew Bender and Co., February 2008.

Construction Cost Engineering. Two-day seminar delivered to professionals seeking more knowledge of construction cost engineering from ASCE, April and October 2004.

Business and Program Planning. Professional Practice Guide (PPG) #14 editor, for AACE-I, November 2002.

Comparison of Project Manager and Top Manager Perceptions of Emerging Executive Knowledge Required in Construction Firms. Disquisition (dissertation) defended in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Management, Webster University, August 2002.

Easy(?) Decision-making. Overview of techniques and concerns by which to improve decision-making at the construction project level. Article in Cost Engineering journal (AACE-I), August 2002.

Evolution, Not Revolution. Analysis of Nashville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, conversion of project offices from functional to area wide, market driven structure. Published as refereed paper in Journal of Management in Engineering, ASCE, July 2001.

Business Strategy: Ideas for Construction Masters Degrees. Adaptation of strategic perspectives construction master’s degree program curricula to allow instruction to transcend the baccalaureate project management focus. Published in Journal of Leadership and Management in Engineering, ASCE, April 2001. Orally presented to faculty attending Associated Schools of Construction regional meeting, November 2000.

Interest Rates, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Net Income: Their Effect on Financing Large Construction Firms. A research project and paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Management degree, May 1997.

Examination of the Program Curriculum of the Department of Construction in the School of Engineering at Southern Illinois University—Edwardsville. A research proposal submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Management degree, October 1997.

Construction Program of Nashville District, Army Corps of Engineers. Presentation to Southeast Regional Meeting of Associated General Contractors, February 1993.

Construction in Turkey: the NATO Petroleum Pipeline System. Presentation to the Nashville Post of the Society of American Military Engineers, January 1993.

Construction Program of Nashville District, Army Corps of Engineers. Presentation to the Huntsville, AL, Post of the Society of American Military Engineers, November 1992.

Recommended Enhancements of the NATO Infrastructure Program in Turkey. Presentation to the NATO Infrastructure Conference, Izmir, Turkey, April 1992.

Congressional Record (various passages relating to optimization of equipment system integration). Also prepared narratives and compilations about equipment systems for Army general officer briefings to students of the Army War College and members of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army, 1987.

Team Leader Handbook (a 20 page guide for newly assigned Army Engineer School Team Leaders about what they should be, know, and do to be effective in their teaching/coaching duties). Also served as an Army Engineer School faculty reviewer for these Army Field Manuals:
• FM 5 335, Drainage, 1985
• FM 5 541, Military Soils Engineering, 1986
• FM 5 742, Concrete and Masonry, 1985

Design and Construction with Geotextiles. Literature review project in partial fulfillment of requirements for M.S.C.E., as a graduate student, University of Missouri Rolla, 1983.

Industry Engagement:

Member (honorary), Board of Directors, Institute for Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification.

Professional Affiliations:

Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering International (AACE I), member since 1995; certified in 1997. Past member, Cost Engineering Advisory Group (CEAG). Past member, Technical Board. Assorted international committee memberships, including Chair, Business and Program Planning, Economic and Financial Analysis Committee; Technical Director for Professional Practice Guides and the Cost Engineers Notebook; General Construction Committee.

American Institute of Constructors, national member 2001-2013 and Wisconsin Chapter member, 1999-2005. Served as chapter director, 2001-04.

American Society of Civil Engineers, member since 1985. Served on Architectural Engineering Examination Committee, 2003-04.

Order of the Engineer, member since 2001. Primary coordinator for the induction ceremonies at Milwaukee School of Engineering, 2001-05.

Society of American Military Engineers (SAME), member 1975-2005. Served as Vice President and Programs Chairman, Nashville Post, 1992-94. Served as Director, Nashville Post, 1993 95. Served as Co Host, later as Operations Committee Chair, 1992 94, for the 1994 National Conference; as Chair, Investment Committee; and as a Director, Nashville SAME Scholarship Corporation, 1994 95.